Pancaratra and Angkor Wat Temple

In Indian tradition of Hinduism and Bauddham, Itihasa-Purana were considered the "fifth Veda".(Brhadaranyaka Upanisad 2.4.10, 4.1.2, 4.5.11.) Itihasa means 'that which occurred'. Purana (Sanskrit: पुराण, meaning "ancient" or "old")are defined with "Panca-laksana" (Sanskrit: "Five distinguishing marks or contents") which expand itihasa to provide an account of the history of creation and cosmology, combined with a chronology of the families of great personages of history, and dynastic histories:

Sarga—The creation of the universe.
Pratisarga—Secondary creations, mostly re-creations after dissolution.
Vamśa—Genealogy of gods and sages.
Manvañtara—The creation of the human race and the first human beings.
Vamśānucaritam—Dynastic histories.(Matsya Purana 53.65)

In the ancient Indian tradition, two great epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, are known as itihasa.

Traditionally, it is said that there are eighteen Mahāpuranas and eighteen Upapuranas (Great and Additional Puranas).

Scholars read from itihasa and Purana; tell their stories, usually in Katha sessions in a temple.

Such Katha sessions are embellished as visual narratives in the exquisite sculptures of Angkor Wat. Many facets of Vyûha are represented in the sculptures.

Ahirbudhnya Samhita (see the embedded introduction to the samhita) discusses the Vyûha. This Samhit also mentions Jayakhya and Sattvata Samhita [which in turn mentions Pauskara, Varaha and Prajapatya (Brahma)], all of which constitute the authoritative Pancaratra scripture. As noted in the introduction, the ideal Pancaratra Samhita, like the Saiva Agamas, is said to consist of four 'quarters' (Paada) teaching respectively (1) jnaana, knowledge; (2) yoga, concentration; (3) kriyaa (making); and (4) caryaa, doing. "By Making is meant everything connected with the construction and consecration of temples (mandira-nirmaana) and images (pratistha-vidhi), and by Doing, the religious and social observances [domestic/daily observances (samskaara, aahnika), public festivals (utsava), social rules (varnasrama-dharma)]." (p.22) This four-fold classification is confirmed by Padma Tantra Visnutttva Samhita which have jnaana paada, yoga paada, kriyaa paada and caryaa paada. Similarly, Hayasirsa Samhita has 4 kaandas: Pratistha, Samkarsa, Linga and Saura, the first two dealing with supplement (consecration), worship (puja).

The term pancaratra denotes 5 principal subjects: 1. Ontology (cosmology); 2. liberation; 3. devotion; 4. yoga; 5. objects of sense. Pancaratra Sattra is mentioned in Satapatha Brahmana (SB) XIII.6.1 which refers to Purusa Narayana as having conceived the idea of Pancaratra Sattra (continued performance of rites for five days) to obtain superiority over all beings and becoming all beings. Chapter XIII.3.4 of SB details how He, by sacrificing Himself, actually became the whole world. (p.25). Five-fold self-manifestation of paramaatman Mahesvara occurs by means of His Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Antaryamin and Arca forms. Ahirbudhnya Samhita notes at the end of the 11th adhyaya that the Paramaatman Himself framed out of the original S'astra 'the system (tantra) called Pancaratra describing His (fivefold) nature known as Para (life-period of a Brahman), Vyuha, Vibhava, etc." and 'that highest Will of Visnu called Sudarsana through which He split into five, appearing five-mouthed."

The Ahirbudhnya Samhita illustrates the days and nights of the Paramaatman by an image of dazzling beauty: during the Day the universe is like a sky sprinkled all over with cirrus clouds -- the Brahmic Eggs, of which there are koti-arbudas of koti-oghas (an unimaginably high number); while during the Night it resembles a sky without a single cloud. (p. 29).

"In the eighth and last part of the Cosmic Night (paurusi ratri) the great S'akti of Visnu, awakened as it were by His command, 'opens her eyes'. This unmesa 'opening of the eyes', says the Samhita, is like the appearance of a lightning in the sky. And it means that the S'akti, which was so far indistinguishable from the 'windless atmosphere' or 'motionless ocean' of the Absolute, existing only as it were in a form of 'darkness' or 'emptiness', suddenly, 'by some independent resolve' (kasmaccit svatantryat), flashes up, with an infinitely small part of herself, in her dual aspect of kriya (acting) and bhuti (becoming), that is Force and Matter...The Kriya S'akti is 'the Sudarsana portion of Lakshmi'; for it is identical with Visnu's 'Will-to-be' symbolised by the Sudarsana or discus...Through three pairs of what are called the Six Gunas (shadguna), to wit: Knowledge, Lordship, Power, etc. does the Pure Creation (or first stage) of (His) becoming takes place. Now, the six Gunas are described as follows: The first Guna is jnaana, 'knowledge', defined as 'non-inert, self-conscious, eternal, all-penetrating', that is: omniscience. 'It is both the essence and an attribute of Brahman', for which reason the remaining five Gunas are occasionally called 'attributes of jnaana'. Jnaana is, of course, also the essence of Lakshmi. The second Guna is aisvarya 'lordship', that is 'activity based on independence', 'unimpeded activity'...The third Guna is s'akti 'ability, potency', namely to become the material cause of the world (jagat-prakriti-bhaava)...The fourth Guna is bala, 'strength' defined as 'absence of fatigue' (srama-haani), or 'fatigulessness in connection with the production of the world', or 'power to sustain all things', 'sustaining power' (dhaarana-saamarthya). The fifth Guna is veerya 'virility', that is 'unaffectedness (changelessness, vikaara-viraha) in spite of being the material cause...The sixth and last Guna is tejas 'splendour, might', which is said to mean 'self-sufficiency (sahakaari-anapeksa) and 'power to defeat others' (paraabhibhavana-saamarthya)...The six Gunas are the material, or instruments, as it were of Pure Creation (1) in their totality, and (2)by pairs...In their totality the Gunas make up the body of Vasudeva, the highest personal divinity as well as that of his consort Lakshmi, in the way that these two are constantly seen by the free aatman inhabiting the Highest Space...The Pancaratra teaches a chain, as it were, of emanations; each emanation, except the first, originating from an anterior emanation; and thus the favourite image of the process has, with the Pancaratrins, become that of one flame proceeding from another flame. Any production, up to the formation of the Egg, is imagined as taking place in this way. The first three (or, including Vasudeva, four) beings thus coming into existence are called Vyuhas. This word is a combination of the root uuh 'to shove' and the preposition vi 'asunder' and apparently refers to the 'shoving asunder' and apparently refers to the 'shoving asunder' of the six Gunas into three pairs...each Vyuha is Visnu Himself with His six Gunas, of which, however, two only, in each case, become manifest. Abiding by the image, we may say that each new flame has for its fuel another pair of Gunas. The Vyuhas are named after the elder brother, the son, and the grandson, respectively of Krsna, namely Samkarsana (or Balarama, Baladeva), Pradyumna, and Aniruddha and the pairs of Gunas connected with these are respectively: jnaana and bala; aisvarya and veerya; s'akti and tejas."

Lakshmi Tantra explains that Samkarsana, etc. Vyuha are, as it were, the soul (jeeva), the mind (buddhi, manas), and the organ of self-assertion of the 'playing' (that is, creating)Vasudeva. Vishvaksena Samhita declares Samkarsana 'is acting as the superintendent of all the aatman'; Pradyumna 'is the superintendent of the mind (manas); he is declared to be of the nature of the mind (manomaya); and Aniruddha is declared as the creator of the mis'ra-varga, that is, of the aatman dominated by Rajas and Tamas, thus seen as the adhishthaatr of the Ahamkaara.

From each Vyuha descend three sub-vyuhas (vyuhantar, maartyantara), namely (1) from Vasudeva: Kesava, Narayana and Madhava; (2) from Samkarsana: Govinda, Visnu, and Madhusudana; (3) from Pradyumna: Trivikrama, Vamana and S'ridhara; and (4) from Aniruddha: Hrsikesa, Padmanabha and Damodara. These twelve are the 'Lords of the months', that is the tutelar deities (adhidevata) of the twelve months and the twelve suns and as such play an important part in diagrams (yantras), etc. (p.41) Another set of twelve Vidyes'varas descending from the Vyuhas is mentioned...Padma Tantra...: from the Vyuha Vasudeva springs another Vasudeva, from the latter Purushottama, and from him Janardana; similarly from Samkarsana another Samkarsana, Adhokshaja, and Upendra; and from Aniruddha another Aniruddha, Acyuta and Krsna. These twelve are enumerated after the twelve sub-vyuhas and called, together with the latter, 'the twenty-four forms' (caturvims'ati-murtayah). To Pure Creation further belong the so-called Vibhavas (manifestations) or Avataras (descents), that is incarnations of Paramaatman or His Vyuhas or Sub-Vyuhas or angels among this or that class of terrestrial beings (vibhavo naama tat-tat-sajaateeya-roopan aavirbhaavah). The principal Vibhavas according to Ahirbudhnya Samhit are the following 39: 1. Padmanabha; 2. Dhruva; 3. Ananta; 4. S'aktyaatman; 5. Madhusudana; 6. Vidyadhideva; 7. Kapila; 8. Vis'varupa; 9. Vihangama; 10. Krodaatman; 11. Badabaavaktra; 12. Dharma; 13. Vagis'vara; 14. Ekarnavas'aayin; 15. Kamathes'vara; 16. Varaha; 17. Narasimha; 18. Piyusaharanin;19. S'ripati; 20. Kantaatman; 21. Rahujit; 22. Kalanemighna; 23. Parijatahara; 24 Lokanatha; 25. S'antaatman; 26. Dattatraya; 27. Nyagrodhas'aayin; 28. Ekas'rngatanu; 29. Vaamanadeha; 30. Trivikrama; 31. Nara; 32. Narayana; 33. Hari; 34. Krsna; 35. Paras'urama; 36. Rama Dhanurdhara; 37. Vedavid; 38. Kalkin; 39. Paataalas'ayana.(p.42)